Attention, Greendale Human Beings: a “Community” feature film is finally in the works at Peacock, fulfilling the sitcom’s famous “six seasons and a movie” prophecy. Announced by the NBC streaming platform on Sept. 30, “Community: The Movie” will reunite most of the comedy’s ensemble cast, including Joel McHale, Alison Brie, Danny Pudi, Ken Jeong, Gillian Jacobs, and Jim Rash, as well as original series creator Dan Harmon, Variety reports. McHale is also set to executive produce alongside Andrew Guest.
Donald Glover and Yvette Nicole Brown — who portrayed Troy Barnes and Shirley Bennett, respectively — are not yet confirmed to be involved, although McHale did tag both actors in a tweet and Instagram post sharing the news. Plus, Glover and Brown each participated in a virtual table read event with the rest of the cast in 2020, so we’re holding out hope for their return. It seems unlikely that Chevy Chase, whose Pierce Hawthorne was killed off in the fifth season, will be involved.
“Community” ran for a total of 110 episodes from 2009 to 2015, with the first five seasons airing on NBC and the final installment streaming on now-defunct Yahoo! Screen. The cool (cool, cool) sitcom followed the adventures of several eccentric Greendale Community College students who joined a study group that later morphed into the Save Greendale Committee, and garnered a dedicated fan base for its meta-humor and pop culture references. During its run, the show won the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award for outstanding individual achievement in animation in 2011 and the Critics’ Choice Television Award for best comedy series in 2012.
“Community: The Movie” will presumably pick back up where the crew left off in the season six finale, during which pretty much everyone except McHale’s Jeff left Greendale. No premiere date has been revealed yet, but it’s clear the cast is just as hyped as fans are. Several stars, including Brie, Pudi, and Jeong, celebrated the film’s announcement by sharing the same blue-and-white graphic that reads “… and a movie” on social media. It’s time to raise the roof and “pop, pop” some Champagne like Magnitude (Luke Youngblood) in celebration.